Melting
by Gizzi1213
Summary: Part 3 in the “Commitment” series. Sara and Greg as seen through Catherine’s eyes during “Iced”.


Title: Melting

Rating: K

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine; I'm just taking them out to play.

Warnings: None

Pairings: Greg/Sara

Spoilers: Through Season 5

Summary: Part 3 in the "Commitment" series. Sara and Greg as seen through Catherine's eyes during "Iced".

AN: As always, thanks to Tripp3235 for the beta!

* * *

It was a sound she didn't expect to hear walking the halls of the CSI crime lab. But there is was again, the sound of a woman's happy laughter. Not just any woman's either. No, that laugh, seldom heard, but well remembered, belonged to Sara. Curious as to what could have elicited such a response, Catherine peeked around the doorway to the garage, ground zero for the laughter, to see for herself. 

She shouldn't have been surprised to see that Greg was with Sara. Grissom generally paired the two together on cases. They were standing inside a plexiglass chamber, discussing something at their feet. It surprised her to see the broad, happy grin still in evidence on Sara's face. That simple smile transformed Sara's face better than the most skilled plastic surgeon could have dreamed. Gone was the heretofore perpetual frown, the mulish set to her jaw, the dull and disinterested look in her eyes.

No, the woman she observed now exuded vitality, energy and self-assurance. Their voices were muffled by the plexiglass, and she lacked Grissom's ability to read lips, but she was a trained observer in body language, and every fiber of Sara's being seemed attuned to one thing, and one thing only.

Greg.

Even as she watched the couple, remaining carefully hidden to avoid detection, Sara, already standing well within Greg's personal space, shifted closer and leaned into Greg to nudge him with her shoulder.

For his part, Catherine noted, Greg spread his arms wide, she thought she heard the phrase, "You're not getting away with that again," as Greg gestured towards the floor. The chamber was lined with sandbags and what appeared to be the shattered remains of a toilet bowl were scattered across the floor in a puddle.

The surprises didn't end there, however. Sara pivoted suddenly to her left. She nearly slipped from the chamber, but Greg managed to slip his arms around her waist, drawing her in closely against him. Both of them were laughing, Sara gripping Greg's forearm and leaning back against him.

It was all a ruse as Sara decided to try another, in Catherine's estimation, half-hearted attempt to break out of Greg's arms. She slipped her arms between his arms and her waist, trying to break his hold. All she managed to do was throw them off balance on the slippery floor. Greg managed to brace his back against the wall, but the puddle cost him traction and he was unable to prevent his feet from sliding out from under him. He went down with a loud "Omph" followed by a distinct gasp of pain as Sara came down on top of him, ending up in his lap.

"Ow! God, Sara, get off," an act which was quickly accomplished with a shove, landing Sara right into the puddle.

"Damn, that hurt!" Greg whined, rolled onto his right hip, away from Sara, and reached under his left hip. Catherine started to move further in the room to ensure that he wasn't seriously injured, even if it meant revealing her presence, when he held up a piece of the broken toilet bowl.

"I think the toilet extracted its revenge," Sara said, obviously suppressing a grin. Catherine's could barely believe her eyes when Sara next reached over and started rubbing Greg's wounded backside. She decided she'd seen enough. Better to leave now than see something which, in her capacity as a Supervisor, she'd be obligated to report. With one last amused glance at the couple, she slipped silently from the room.

Thinking back on the last several months of Greg's CSI training, Catherine realized that each seemed to have benefited from the experience. She wasn't entirely certain what the nature of Sara and Greg's relationship was, but she approved nevertheless. Sara laughing was reason enough. It would appear that Greg's innate enjoyment of life had melted the block of ice Sara had been encased in recently. She only hoped the melting continued. For all their differences, she believed in happiness, and she hoped Sara had finally found it with Greg.

The End.


End file.
